E-mail (i.e., electronic mail) is nearly ubiquitous in the business world, and is becoming ubiquitous in the personal world, too. As known, such e-mail comprises e-mail messages, where each message typically can include text, pictures, video, audio, and the like. In addition, each message can include pictures, video, audio, and practically any type of digital computer file as attachments. Once composed by a first entity, each message can be transmitted from the first entity to one or more second entities. Typically, an e-mail message is formatted and transmitted by way of the Internet according to a generally standardized protocol, although other transmission devices and other protocols are known.
While the advantages of e-mail are many and well known, such e-mail also has some disadvantages. Chief among such disadvantages is the fact that e-mail typically requires the use of a personal computer or the like for composing, sending, receiving, and viewing e-mail messages, and the like. Such personal computer can be relatively expensive, and can require a relatively high degree of expertise to operate and maintain. Of course, the same can be said for e-mail software applications that run on such personal computer. Such expense and expertise can be especially daunting for some individuals, with the result being that such individuals do not have access to e-mail. As is known, even individuals who regularly use personal computers and e-mail software applications can experience baffling problems that require time and knowledge to fix. For individuals who do not regularly use personal computers and e-mail software applications, such problems when they occur can be insurmountable.
To avoid the aforementioned problems, it is known for an e-mail subscriber to employ an e-mail appliance rather than a personal computer or the like. Such e-mail appliance is a dedicated hardware device coupled to a network for composing, sending, receiving, and viewing e-mail messages. Typically, the e-mail appliance includes appropriate computer components including a modem or the like, and contacts an e-mail server or the like by way of a public communications network such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or the like by way of a telephone line or the like. Once contacted, the e-mail server and the e-mail appliance cooperate to send an e-mail message from the e-mail appliance and receive e-mail at the e-mail appliance, all by way of an appropriate e-mail address for the e-mail subscriber employing the e-mail appliance.
Nevertheless, there is still a certain segment of the general population that may have difficulty commanding an e-mail appliance to operate, especially when such operation involves checking for and receiving new incoming e-mail messages. Moreover, even if the e-mail appliance is operable by an e-mail subscriber in such regard, such subscriber must regularly command the e-mail appliance to check with the e-mail server to see if new incoming e-mail messages exist and if so to receive such new incoming e-mail messages.
Some e-mail appliances therefore include a regular incoming e-mail automatic checking call-in routine. Essentially, in such automatic routine, the e-mail appliance as coupled to the PSTN by the modem and the telephone line causes the line to go off hook, places a call to a telephone number by which the e-mail server is accessed, performs a handshaking protocol to identify itself to the e-mail server, collects any waiting e-mail messages from the e-mail server, and then ends the call by causing the line to go on hook. If new e-mail messages are waiting to be reviewed, the e-mail appliance may activate a message waiting annunciator such as a light or a sound to thereby alert the e-mail subscriber of such new e-mail messages.
While such routine is sufficient in the abstract, it is to be understood upon further examination that such routine suffers several deficiencies. Firstly, it is to be noted that the regular call-in routine might be performed several times a day, i.e., semi-hourly, hourly, bi-hourly, etc., and that the telephone line will be employed many times every day. Thus, if the line is billed per call, and/or if the call is not to a local number, the resulting line charges incurred by the e-mail subscriber can quickly become significant. Moreover, if each call is paid for by an e-mail service provider (i.e., the proprietor of the e-mail server) the resulting line charges incurred by such provider can quickly become staggering, especially if a significant number of subscribers automatically call in many times every day.
Secondly, it is to be noted that if a significant number of subscribers automatically call in many times every day, the shear volume of such calls may tax the resources of the e-mail server excessively. As should be appreciated, the e-mail server likely includes or is coupled to one or modems, and such modem(s) can handle only so many calls. Moreover, if e-mail subscribers regularly experience delays in receiving their incoming e-mail because each such e-mail server modem is busy, such e-mail subscribers will quickly become dissatisfied customers.
Thirdly, it is to be noted that if the telephone line employed by the e-mail appliance is also employed as a voice-calling line by the e-mail subscriber, such line may at times be unavailable to the e-mail appliance for the regular call-in routine, especially if the e-mail appliance performs the call-in routine many times every day. Even worse, if not properly configured, the e-mail appliance may attempt to perform the call-in routine while the e-mail subscriber is on the line.
Accordingly, a need exists for a method and apparatus for allowing the e-mail server to automatically notify the e-mail appliance that new incoming e-mail is awaiting retrieval by such e-mail appliance. More generally, a need exists for a method and apparatus for allowing the e-mail server to automatically notify an e-mail user that new incoming e-mail is awaiting retrieval by such e-mail user. Thus, the e-mail appliance/user need not regularly perform any call-in routine to determine whether new incoming e-mail is awaiting retrieval.